For years, Swift made the only 8.5 power binoculars: the Swift Audubons, arguably, in their day, the best optical value on the birding market. They offered optical performance equal to the best roof prism glasses at a fraction of the cost. One might even argue that they were the first binoculars ever designed specifically with birding in mind. They were big. They were bulky. They were increasingly dated by their pebbly fake leather covering. They were also astoundingly bright and sharp. Their one major failing was that they were notoriously "leaky." They were not "wet weather" binoculars.
The new "revised" Audubon 8.5x44 porroprism glass, introduced about a year and a half ago, addresses all those issues except, perhaps, the size and bulk. The current model is waterproof, has a modern looking rubber armor, and such nice amenities as screw up/screw down eyecups and close focus. It is a good looking glass that gives an exceptional view of the birdonce again, certainly equal to glasses costing many times as much.
They are still on the large size, even for porros, but their size is offset somewhat by an excellent body design that allows the fingers to wrap around and reach the focus easily. They even allow the preferred "heron" stance while holding at eye-level, as opposed to the "seagull" stance forced by most porros. (Heron stance=elbows down in front, arms vertical, binoculars supported by the bones of the arms. Seagull stance=elbows out at shoulder level, arms horizontal, binoculars supported by muscle. Bone never tires. Muscle does. Bone is stable. Muscle shakes.) With that little extra power (8.5 vs. 8x), a good field of view, manageable eyerelief, and first quality optics, the 8.5x44 Audubon Porros are still one of the best optical values on the market. (See the full review of the porros at The New Swift Audubons.)
And now...the Audubons have a worthy roof prism sibling. Swift has attempted, several times over the past 10 years, to equal the porro Audubon's value and performance in a roof. Most of these attempts, while good binoculars, and interesting in their own way, were not up to the standard of the Audubon line. This time they have gotten it right. The HHS Audubon is an 8.5x44, just like the porro, fully waterproof and nitrogen purged, phase coated, close focus, with screw-in/screw out eyecups, and an attractive and very grippable armor. They are compact, light weight, and well balanced. (see the chart of weights and measures below) The focus is smooth: on the slow and precise side rather than the finicky side of the average for roofs. Physically, I can't imagine a more attractive or field worthy glass.
Optically, the new glass holds its own as well. It does not equal either the brightness or resolving power of the 8.5x44 porro (or of the 8.5x42 Swarovski EL for that matter, see the NEED chart below) but it comes very, very, close, missing the resolution mark by only 5 inches (out of 70, which amounts to a 7% difference) in our NEED test. Eyerelief is generous (much better, in fact, than the porro) and field of view is adequate for an 8.5x glass (again, see the chart of weights and measures below). Looked at from one side this performance means that you can get 8.5 power and the handling of a roof in the Audubon line without sacrificing noticeable optical performance. Looked at from the other it means that you can get an 8.5x binocular with almost the performance of the Swarovski EL (and perhaps a shade better handling, considering weight, size and focus) for considerably less money. In fact, at a suggested retail of $629.00 (and a street price probably somewhat less than that), the HHS Audbons may just represent the current "best buy" in a roof prism binocular. They do for roofs what the porro Audubons did for porros: provide a real birdworthy glass at a price most of us can afford, and, being roofs, they do it in a much more elegant (and somewhat more fieldworthy) package. The 8.5x44 Audubon roofs are worthy of the Audubon (and the Swift) name: a joy to carry and use, and providing a view of the bird that will satisfy the most demanding birder.
The 8.5x competition: Swarovski ELs, Swift Audubon roofs,
Swift Audubon porros
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The new Audubon roof is the last glass that Humphrey H. Swift, founder and longtime president of Swift Instruments, personally worked on before his death, and the new glass will be a "memorial edition" (hence the "HHS" in the model designation) for the first year of its sales. It is a worthy legacy for one of the great innovators in optics for birding, for the man who just might have "invented" the birding specific binocular.
And, yes, I know I have already used this line: but the new Swift Audubon 8.5x44 might just be an 8.5 roof "for the rest of us!" The HHS Audubons are available at select retailers beginning this month.
The NEED Test measures the distance at which optics show the smallest detail readily visible to the naked eye at a comfortable focus distance of about 18 inches (arm's length). It is a comparative test, dependent on local conditions (especially light levels) and comparisons are only valid for optics in the same test series. To make the closeness of this field plain: the Swarovski and Swift porros show the same detail as the Swift roofs from 5 inches further out. | |
In a tight field, the 8.5s clearly show their edge (by a factor of 5-10 inches!) |
optic
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weight
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field of view
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eyerelief
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close focus
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comments
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Swift HHS Audubon 8.5x44
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23.4 oz
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336 ft@1000yds
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19mm
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9 feet
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screw eyecups/phase coated/waterproof |
Steiner Predator 8x42
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24 oz
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367 ft@1000yds
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23mm
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5.5 feet
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flared eyecups/phase coated/waterproof ± $700
street
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